Injury-plagued Tampa Bay Ray’s player Evan Longoria is facing an uncertain second half of the baseball season, but the problem isn’t the torn hamstring that kept him out of play last year. What’s hampering his career now is something seemingly simple, but in reality quite crippling—sharp, persistent heel pain.

On June 28, Longoria had to be removed from a game against the Detroit Tigers when his plantar fasciitis (pain in the bottom of his right foot) flared up, making it too difficult for him to keep playing. The Rays ultimately lost to the Tigers, undoubtedly hampered by the loss of their star third baseman.

No one was more surprised about being sidelined by heel pain than Longoria himself. "From the beginning, what they've told me is that it's something you can play through if you can deal with the pain," he told reporters on June 29, "so I've been dealing with that for a while now, and there have been days when it's been really bad and I've been able to just go out there and play through it. I'm hoping that some of the pain subsides, that I'll be able to go back out there as soon as possible."

After leaving the game early on the 28th, Longoria had to sit out the next two games as well. It seems like the Rays are making game-day decisions on Longoria, trying to avoid placing him on the 15-day disabled list, which would effectively eliminate him from play for at least three weeks.

Longoria is trying to stay positive about his condition, saying, "I don't want to go into that mindset of this being an injury that's going to keep me out a long time."